Meltdown.

I had a short list of errands to run: bank, possibly Hobby Lobby, and HEB.

Pax fell asleep on the way to the bank so I decided to dash into Hobby Lobby, hoping he would continue to nap (mistake #1).

He didn't. Our little guy is such a light sleeper and woke up as soon as someone made an announcement on the loud speaker. However, he was still happy and really content so I continued to mosey my way through the store (mistake #2).

I finally looked at my watch and realized I had a little over an hour until his next feeding. Perfect. I could run over to HEB, breeze through, and get home in time for him to eat.

We got to HEB and I realized I needed to exchange some diapers for another size. I debated on saving that for another day, but I'd already done that twice and decided I should just do it and be done with it (mistake #3).

The exchange took about 10 minutes, but we were finally on our way to the produce section to begin shopping. Of course, being a weekday morning, every elderly person wanted to either talk to Pax or to each other... I had no idea HEB was such a social gathering. Needless to say, it took forever just to make our way to the deli. Made it to the deli, got our lunch meat, and headed to the refrigerated meats...

At this point, Pax was becoming more and more chatty, and his volume was gradually getting louder. I didn't think anything of it because he often does this when he gets excited.

We jet through the meats and headed to the breads... and the meltdown begins. Loud yelling and the hungry, get-me-out-of-the-cart cry.

This is the baby noise that I hate hearing when I'm in public, so naturally I get really embarrassed when it's my own child... especially when I look around to find everyone around staring at me!

I frantically made my way to the check out, and waited in line behind another mom with children (hoping hers would distract from mine). Thankfully Pax settled down and all of the cashiers/baggers were distracted by her oldest son hitting a balloon all over the place.

All that to say, I still need half of my weekly groceries, and I doubt this will be the last time I have to leave the store before I'm finished shopping... but at least I had what I needed for lunch today. :)

The Newest Member of Our Family

For several weeks, we've been anticipating the arrival of our first niece on the Mitchel side, Anika (pronounced on-ick-a). We finally got a call Friday morning saying that they were heading to the hospital for my sister-in-law to be induced! Royce and I had intentionally kept our weekend plans flexible in order to head up to Dallas if she arrived. We finished the work day and decided not to leave until after Pax ate dinner, had a bath, etc... hoping he would sleep on the way up there and be out for the night (he ended up sleeping in the car, but was WIDE AWAKE when we got the hospital).

We didn't think we'd make it to the hospital in time for her arrival, but that little girl was determined to stay put until we got there. ;) She arrived around 9:30 that evening and was sent to NICU for fluid on her lungs and rapid breathing (same reason Pax was sent to NICU after his birth- weird). She's still in NICU due to antibiotics, but will get to join her mommy and daddy at home by the upcoming weekend.

Hanging out with Aunt Lauren in the waiting room... those little eyes were SO heavy but he couldn't go back to sleep with all of the action going on around him!

Sweet girl... look at all of that hair!

Holidays will be extra fun with these two littles roaming about. I think they'll be great buddies.

So Big

I know everyone says your kids grow up quickly, but I guess I didn't really understand that until I started seeing the changes right before my eyes.

Pax started eating cereal last week...

and wants to be sitting up ALL the time (we think he'll be doing it on his own soon)!

Slow down, little man... we want to soak up every second!

Broiled Salmon with Peppercorn-Lime Rub

Along with the other disciplines I'm working on this year, I'm also trying to escape my cooking rut by trying new recipes! Instead of being overly ambitious by saying I want to try something new every night, I've decided to start small... one new recipe a week.

I pulled out my old Cooking Light magazines and chose to make their Broiled Salmon with Peppercorn-Lime Rub... It was delish, if I do say so myself. I paired it with cous-cous and corn (Royce's pick), but next time I think I'll do grilled asparagus or just a garden salad.

Prepped and ready to go!

Finished and ready to eat.

Discipline

I felt a little twinge in my heart when I started seeing the school supplies fill the shelves of stores. I love the start of a school year... reuniting with friends you haven't seen all summer; new clothes; a nice, glowing tan; new pens, paper, and crayons; and fall is just around the corner (maybe).

But this year is different... I woke up last Monday feeling a little melancholy because all of my teacher friends, husband included, started their week of inservice and it was my first "real" week as a stay-at-home mom. To snap out of the haze clouding my mind with sad thoughts, I jumped into the Word while Pax was taking his morning nap. During my devotion, the Lord really convicted me of how I'm going to spend my time this year. I'm one who operates well with a plan, but if I don't have one I can become super idle (and sometimes sink into self pity). I'm pretty sure this is not a good habit for day-to-day living. I felt challenged by Hebrews 12:11:

"All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

Discipline has never been easy for me, so I set a few personal goals that I'm going to work on this year...

1) Time with the Lord (daily)

2) Exercise (5x a week- Run a 5K this fall, 10K in the spring)

3) Meal planning/budgeting (write it out and stick to it!)

I made a few sticky notes as reminders, and shared my goals with a few friends and family members for accountability. After my first week, I'm already feeling more fulfilled with how I spend my time. It's helped me appreciate, rather than take for granted, the gift of being able to stay home and spend time with Pax and makes me excited for the "peaceful fruit of righteousness."